Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method for rendering of an animated avatar on one or more computing devices using animated delay clips between responses of the animated avatar, the method comprising: generating an avatar delay graph (ADG) by associating each of the animated delay clips with a directed edge in the ADG, associating a playing length of the animated delay clip with the respective edge, each edge connected to at least one other edge via a node, each particular node associated with a point at which the animated delay clip associated with the edge terminating at the particular node can be stitched together with other animated delay clips associated with the edges emanating at the particular node; selecting a node of the ADG labelled as an initial node to be a current node; determining whether one of the responses of the animated avatar is being processed, and while there is no response being processed: rendering the one or more animated delay clips using the ADG, the rendering comprising: stochastically selecting one of the edges emanating from the current node; updating the current node to be the node at which the selected edge is terminated; and rendering the animated delay clip associated with the selected edge; and communicating the rendered one or more animation delay clips to be displayed.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rendering further comprising repeatedly: stochastically selecting one of the edges emanating from the current node; updating the current node to be the node at which the selected edge is terminated; and rendering the animated delay clip associated with the selected edge.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein an expressive state vector is an encoding of an expressive state of the animated avatar as perceived by the user, a current expressive state being a current value of the expressive state vector, each of the edges are associated with a value for the expressive state vector, the method further comprising selecting an initial expressive state vector as a current expressive state vector and the rendering further comprising updating the current expressive state vector based on the expressive state vector associated with the selected edge when such edge is selected.
This invention relates to animated avatars and the dynamic rendering of their expressive states based on user interactions. The problem addressed is the need for avatars to realistically convey emotions or expressions in response to user inputs, ensuring smooth transitions between different expressive states. The system involves an animated avatar represented by a graph structure, where nodes correspond to different expressive states and edges define transitions between these states. Each edge is associated with a value for an expressive state vector, which encodes the avatar's expressive state as perceived by the user. The current expressive state is defined by the current value of this vector. The method begins by selecting an initial expressive state vector as the current state. When a user selects an edge in the graph, the current expressive state vector is updated based on the expressive state vector associated with that edge. This ensures that the avatar's expression dynamically adapts to user interactions, providing a seamless and natural transition between states. The rendering process incorporates these updates to visually reflect the avatar's changing expressive state in real time. This approach enables avatars to respond to user inputs with realistic and contextually appropriate expressions, enhancing user engagement and immersion in interactive applications.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the edges are selected using a probability inversely proportional to a distance between the current expressive state and expressive state values associated with a respective one of the selectable edges.
This invention relates to a method for selecting edges in a graph-based system, particularly for navigating expressive states in applications such as animation, robotics, or interactive media. The problem addressed is efficiently determining which edges to traverse in a graph where nodes represent expressive states (e.g., facial expressions, robotic movements, or interactive behaviors) and edges represent transitions between these states. The challenge is to select edges in a way that balances exploration of new states with maintaining coherence in the sequence of transitions. The method involves selecting edges based on a probability inversely proportional to the distance between the current expressive state and the expressive state values associated with each selectable edge. This means edges leading to states that are more dissimilar to the current state are more likely to be chosen, promoting diversity in the sequence of states. The selection process ensures that transitions are not overly repetitive while still allowing for controlled exploration of the state space. The method may be part of a broader system that generates sequences of expressive states, such as animating a character, controlling a robotic system, or dynamically adjusting interactive content. The underlying graph structure defines the possible transitions between expressive states, and the selection mechanism dynamically adjusts probabilities to favor edges that lead to less frequently visited or more distant states. This approach can be applied in real-time systems where adaptive behavior is required, such as in interactive entertainment, assistive technologies, or autonomous systems. The method improves upon prior techniques by introducing a probabilistic selection mechanism that inherently bal
5. A system for rendering of an animated avatar using one or more animated delay clips between responses of the animated avatar, the animated avatar displayed on a user interface, the system comprising one or more processors and a data storage device, the one or more processors configured to execute a delay module to: generate an avatar delay graph (ADG) by associating each of the animated delay clips with a directed edge in the ADG, associating a playing length of the animated delay clip with the respective edge, each edge connected to at least one other edge via a node, each particular node associated with a point at which the animated delay clip associated with the edge terminating at the particular node can be stitched together with other animated delay clips associated with the edges emanating at the particular node; select a node of the ADG labelled as an initial node to be a current node; determine whether one of the responses of the animated avatar is being processed, while there is no response being processed: render the one or more animated delay clips using the ADG, the rendering comprising: stochastically selecting one of the edges emanating from the current node with a probability inversely proportional to a distance between an expressive state vector associated with the respective edge and a vector of the same rank associated with the animated delay clip; updating the current node to be the node at which the selected edge is terminated; and rendering the animated delay clip associated with the selected edge; and communicate the rendered one or more animation delay clips to the user interface.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors of the system are on a remote computing device that is remote to a local computing device connected to the user interface, the remote computing device in communication with the local computing device over a computer network, and wherein at least one of the animated delay clips is locally cached on the local computing device.
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February 16, 2021
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